2. +
OTAs
What is a OTA?
It is an online travel agency (OTA) specializes in offering
planning sources and booking capabilities.
It can be used to sell rooms, but also as an advertisement to reach
customers you wouldn’t be able to reach directly.
May hotels need OTA to be able to reach the customer but it has a
cost because they have to pay a fee. Moreover, hoteliers don’t own
this third channel.
There are different types of OTA, some are the biggest as Expedia,
booking.com but there is some smaller OTA more for a special
niche market and they can be less expensive for hoteliers.
OTA can also be used as an advertising channel, more than a
distribution channel.
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LAST MOMENT BOOKING APPS
New apps have appeared and they offer the opportunity for
the clients to book rooms at the very last minute.
Indeed, from 12am, the customer can see different rooms
around him by a geolocalisation system and the prices going
down. Discounts grow in real time depending on the number
of people who are looking at the same page as you.
The specificity is that the client can book only through the
app, there is no website. And, there is no refund.
Example: The very last room.com
4. +
SEO
Search engine optimization is a set of strategies and techniques used
to increase the amount of visitors to a website or webpage by
obtaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a
search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo…).
SEO improves the chances that the site will be found by the search
engine. The higher a website naturally ranks in organic results of a
search, the higher is the percentage of chance that customers will
have a look at your webpage.
Hoteliers need to find the right key words because the big players are
spending a lot of money in key words so the idea is to go around the
bush and find another way to have good ranking.
So hoteliers have to don’t look in the more popular search term. A
smaller hotel for instance has to find terms that are relevant but not in
a crowded place and then this page with specific key words will link
to other pages .
5. +
INTERACTIVE CAMPAIGNS
It uses online or offline interactive media to communicate with
consumers and to promote products, brands, and services. This is most
commonly performed through the Internet and more specifically a
dedicated website; often through the use of an ad server that can
deliver a variety of interactive advertising units.
Example: Mac Donald’s with his billboard and Pick n Play games, both
are game playing on a gigantic interactive board in the street.
In the games, either you register on line and you can play against
another player a ping pong game and the winner will receive his gift
that he will have to pick at a specific McDonalds
Either, on the other game, no need to register online, many items are
rolling on the board and when you find the asked item you just have to
take a picture with your smartphone and show it at a specific Mc
Donalds.
6. +
DIRECT BOOKING
Direct booking means that you don’t need any third party to receive
booking from your customer.
It can be either online through the hotel website or offline. Strategies to
increase direct booking:
- Create your own mobile booking engine : simple and convenient
- Increase your visibility by getting more referencement on google and by being
present on different platforms like Pinterest, facebook, twitter. With Facebook for
instance, it is possible to book directly and you can push the customer to do with
incentives. Remember that you own your facebook account and that you don’t pay
fees.
You can create contests so the pages of the hotels will be liked and shared the
most as possible.
Encourage guests to post comments and to visit your website
Be like a blogger of the neighbourhood and be present with articles on your
website
good website direct call skype
Be referenced on Google Places, this is free!
Invite the guest to come to your only home platform when they check out, offering
them to pay a lower rate, best deals. Getting them back or to refer you is free
7. +
ROOMKEY.COM
This website is a direct booking website.
Indeed, many hotels have decided to group themselves and they
are offering their rooms to the customers in direct. They don’t
have to pay fee as for a OTA.
They guarantee the best room rate to the clients who finally
know that they are not paying extra fees neither.
Customers can still earn their loyalty points and rewards.
So this is at the benefice of the customers and the hotels.
offer travelers direct access to a broad network of hotels around
the globe, provide accurate and comprehensive information,
make it easy for travelers to discover what’s right for them.
Here are the hotels part of this website:
